Procedures were developed to isolate basolateral membrane vesicles (BLMV) from gill, hepatopancreas, and antennal gland of intermolt freshwater crayfish, Procambarus clarkii. Individual procedures involved a discontinuous sucrose gradient (gill), a 65% sucrose cushion (hepatopancreas), or differential centrifugation (antennal gland). BLMV were visualized, characterized (37°C), and tested for os...

In this study, we explored the pathogenic effects of white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) and effects of yeast cell wall in the red claw crayfish, Cherax quadricarinatus, by investigating the activity of enzymes related to innate immune function following artificial infection of immunized and non-immunized crayfish. Our results reveal that the activity of four enzymes, phenoloxidase (PO), peroxidas...

In this study, we explored the pathogenic effects of white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) and effects of yeast cell wall in the red claw crayfish, Cherax quadricarinatus, by investigating the activity of enzymes related to innate immune function following artificial infection of immunized and non-immunized crayfish. Our results reveal that the activity of four enzymes, phenoloxidase (PO), peroxidas...

ATP-dependent Ca2+ uptake was determined into inside-out basolateral membrane vesicles (BLMV) from intermolt crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) Ca2+-transporting epithelia: gill, hepatopancreas (liver), and antennal gland (kidney). Extravesicular (EV) ATP (5 mM) increased 45Ca2+ uptake (free Ca2+ 5 microM) by fivefold but was abolished by pretreatment with either vanadate or the ionophore A-23187. ...

This study describes the cloning, sequencing and functional characterization of an epithelial Ca(2+) channel (ECaC)-like gene isolated from antennal gland (kidney) of the freshwater crayfish Procambarus clarkii. The full-length cDNA consisted of 2687 bp with an open reading frame of 2169 bp encoding a protein of 722 amino acids with a predicted molecular mass of 81.7 kDa. Crayfish ECaC had 76-7...

Expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were produced for normalized cDNA libraries prepared from several tissues of 2 marine crustaceans, the green shore crab Carcinus maenas and the American lobster Homarus americanus. Tissues represented in the Carcinus library were anterior and posterior gills, hypodermis, heart, hepatopancreas, antennal gland, brain, testis, and skeletal muscle, obtained from anima...

The molting cycle of the freshwater crayfish Procambarus clarkii has emerged as an ideal model to study cellular/molecular mechanisms of Ca homeostasis because of its ability to maximally absorb Ca from a Ca deficient environment. Freshwater contains only 1 mM Ca as opposed to the 10 mM Ca afforded by marine environments. The model is based on a negligible net transepithelial Ca flux during int...

The pharmacokinetics of [(3)H]-9-hydroxybenzo[a]pyrene (9-OH-BaP), a highly lipophilic primary metabolite of benzo(a)pyrene, were examined after intrapericardial (iv) or oral doses of 50 or 200 microg/kg to intermolt American lobsters, Homarus americanus. Combining data for all lobsters, the average terminal elimination half-life of parent 9-OH-BaP was 97.3 h after iv and 56.5 h after oral admi...

Brachyuran crabs from diverse habitats show great differences in their osmoregulatory processes, especially in terms of the structural and physiological characteristics of the osmoregulatory organs. In crustaceans, the antennal glands are known to be important in osmoregulation, and they play a functional role analogous to that of the vertebrate kidney. Nevertheless, the detailed structure and ...

It is now well established that the antennal glands of Crustacea, both marine and fresh water, are concerned with regulation of the ionic composition of body fluids (Robertson, 1957; Shaw, i960; Lockwood, 1962; Potts & Parry, 1964). This activity is considered by some to be the main function of the antennal gland (Webb, 1940; Parry, i960). Because it produces urine and is undoubtedly concerned ...